


Not What I Expected (Just What I Needed)

by minou_demimonde



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Humor, M/M, Schmoop, shifter!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-22
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-14 19:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/518853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minou_demimonde/pseuds/minou_demimonde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As though McGarrett wasn’t insane enough, and Danny’s life wasn’t strange enough, apparently Steve can turn into a Jaguar. Huh.</p>
<p>Well. It does explain a few things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So you can turn into a Jaguar. Ok. I can deal with that. Maybe.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haldoor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/gifts), [kaige68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaige68/gifts), [Tkeyla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tkeyla/gifts).



> Total, unmitigated fluff. Apparently I have a really strong fluff gene. Who knew? Tkeyla, it's not quite what I promised, but I hope you like it nontheless.

So apparently the guy in the pawn shop had a point when he had a door installed that could stop a 300-point Samoan meth addict. Seems there are a few in Hawai’i, and they can cause issues. Especially if they’ve decided that you look snack-sized, and the meth use has left them just famished.

And while Danny pulls his gun as soon as said meth addict starts towards him, he just _knows_ it is going to end badly, because there is no way that he can stop the guy before he gets flattened, and possibly nibbled on.

But Danny isn’t a coward, so he holds his ground and keeps trying to get the guy to stop with the sheer power of his voice. It doesn’t work, naturally, but he isn't required to attempt to put a bullet in the guy’s skull before he arrives to share the exact space as Danny. Before that can happen, the guy is falling backwards and staring with wide eyes at what used to be Steve McGarrett’s clothes. 

The clothes that exploded just seconds ago to allow Steve to change from a government-trained killing machine into something...else.

Danny is still trying to understand exactly what happened here, so he carefully lowers his gun and looks from the meth addict over to where Steve stood just seconds ago.

To where it is possible that Steve is still standing, or pacing, or prowling, or something. Because he’s not sure what you use to describe what Steve is doing at this moment. After all, he’s never had to face a partner who did what Steve is currently doing. Whatever you call it. All he knows at this moment is that he’s thinking that the meth addict who is at this moment attempting to backpedal into another dimension may have a point. But he can’t get his legs to move in order to aid him in following the addict. Instead, he stands there, kind of bemused, and watches while Steve stalks the addict and then stops him from going anywhere by putting a really large paw on his stomach.

Yeah. Paw. Because as though McGarrett wasn’t insane enough, and Danny’s life wasn’t strange enough, apparently Steve can turn into a Jaguar. Huh.

Well. It does explain a few things.

Like the fact that Steve is so damn graceful. And so damn aggressive, and territorially protective, and has the self-preservation instinct of a chocolate-chip cookie. And the fact that he likes a good steak that has been _shown_ to the grill in order to frighten it into submission.

But still, you tend not to expect this sort of thing from your partner of 3 years. After all, you’d have thought that Steve would have mentioned this at some point. I mean, stake-outs really suck, and there has been plenty of time for Steve to make confessions of this sort. God knows everything else in his life has come tumbling out, for all that everybody else complains that Steve is a functional mute.

Danny watches as Steve bends over the Samoan, and growls at him, exposing those huge fangs,and, possibly drooling a bit on the guy, and the meth addict, in spite of, or perhaps because of, his state of inebriation, sits very, very still. Steve steps back from him and walks over to Danny, who reaches down and pets Steve absently. It’s not something he would do under normal circumstances, despite his deep desire to pet Steve upon more than one occasion. But this is nothing like a normal occasion, and Danny is working on instinct. And petting Steve seems to be the thing to do at this moment.

And Steve doesn’t purr exactly--Danny seems to remember reading that the big cats can’t really purr. But he does make a soft noise somewhere in the back of his throat that sounds somewhat like a purr, so Danny isn’t that concerned. Besides, if there’s anybody who can turn into a Jaguar and still keep his mind intact, it’s Steve. But at some point very, very soon, Steve is going to answer some questions regarding this ability and exactly how this occurs, and how frequently it happens.

Steve bumps against Danny’s hand and leg, rubbing his head against him, and Danny thinks about the fact that cats usually do that when they’re marking you, and oh my, my, my is McGarrett going to have some explaining to do. After he turns back into a man who can actually explain things.

Steve turns around, growls at the perp, and then heads back towards the Camero, hopefully to change back into a human being and put some clothing on. Danny sighs, and calls HPD to come and get the lump of whimpering flesh that is currently huddling in a fetal position 5 feet away from him. He gathers up Steve’s exploded clothing, and listens to the guy whimper out his story of a guy who turned into a big, big cat, and tried to eat him. Danny manfully resists telling the guy that if the big, big cat had wanted to eat him, he'd be cat food by now.

Just as Duke is putting the guy into the back of his cruiser, Steve comes bounding up, all perky, and freshly dressed. Danny gives him the stink-eye his mother taught him, and then hands him the bundle of rags that can now be used for cleaning the Camero, which Steve is going to be doing a lot in the near future.

“So, Danno, are we ready to go?”

“Don’t you even call me Danno when you’ve been so obviously hiding something rather large from me. I am so very, very angry with you at this point, Steven. And you don’t get to call me Danno again until you do some major explaining and apologizing.”

“Oh, Danny, don’t be like that. I just saved your life.”

“Uh-huh. And you are _so_ not driving my car again until you’ve made amends either.”

And with that, Danny turns and walks to the car, head held high, and shoulders back and strong, even though inside he’s trembling and wants to fall down and whimper just like the perp did. But he’s not going to allow that to happen while McGarrett is watching.

They get to the car and Danny climbs into the driver’s seat and adjusts it to his more reasonable height. He thinks about taking off before Steve can get into the car, but he’s kind of afraid that Steve will burst out of another set of clothing, at which point he'd have no choice to let him into the car. And he knows full well that Steve only had the one set of back-up clothes in the trunk, and he doesn’t want to deal with a big cat shedding all over his upholstery.

Steve climbs in and looks at him with a smile. “I have to say, you’re taking this rather well, Danny.”

“That’s because I’ve come to the conclusion that you obviously dispensed a drug of some sort that gave both the large gentleman and myself a collective hallucination. And you’re going to let me believe that for at least a few moments, so that I don’t wreck my beautiful car before you can get back to the office and do the paperwork. Which you are doing every single bit of, Steven. And I mean that with all my heart. You will be doing every single piece of paperwork required, and you will come up with some kind of explanation that does not include large, carnivorous animals suddenly appearing and threatening the suspect.

“And you are going to take me to your home and feed me large amounts of expensive food, and give me large amounts of expensive beer to drink, and then maybe tomorrow, we will discuss the fact that you rubbed your head against my hand and leg and _marked me!_ ”

Steve laughs and smiles. “Yes, Danno. Got it, Danno.”

Danny stink-eyes him once again, and drives sedately his apartment, where Steve drops him off with a promise to return as soon as possible. Danny climbs into his crappy bed before falling to pieces.

Eventually, he climbs out of his bed and is driven to Steve’s, where he goes and huddles in Steve's guest bed for a while, until he notices that there is a delightful scent of grilling meat coming up the stairs, and when he goes down, he finds that there is a cooler full of expensive beer cooling nicely. He takes a deep breath, sits down, and opens himself a beer. Eventually, Steve comes over with a plate full of perfectly grilled steak, and a baked potato dripping with butter and sour cream, and a nice selection of cheese and freshly cooked bacon bits. So, Steve is going all out. Danny can handle that. After all, after this afternoon, he deserves it.

They eat in silence, mostly because the food is so spectacular, but also because Danny doesn’t even _begin_ to know where to start with this one. Eventually, however, the food has been devoured, the grill cleaned, and the dishes are in the dishwasher and he can’t avoid it any longer.

“So, Steven.” He begins. “You apparently have some talents that you’ve been less than communicative regarding. Care to explain?”

Steve sits down in his normal position on the couch and looks at him, all solemn blue eyes and serious face. “Well, Danny, the US Navy did some...experiments on some of the SEALs, myself included. They wanted to create the optimum soldier, and I fit the profile. So they gave me a chance, and I volunteered for the trial. They were honest about it, told me that there might be some, um, side effects, but that they didn’t know exactly what the drug would do to us. But I believed that the risks were worth it, and I was honored to have been chosen.

“After the treatment, however, they discovered that there were side effects, such as a great desire to blow shit up, and drive at unsafe speeds. And perhaps to latch onto Detectives named Danno and make them come with me. That one obviously manifested later on.”

About halfway through his statement, Danny realizes that he’s being played, and growls and glares at him. “The truth, McGarrett, before I find your shotgun and shoot you with it.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” Then he smiles his totally happy smile and leans over and sniffs Danny. Danny’s eyes get huge. “Did you just sniff me? Ew. McGarrett!”

Steve grins. “Can’t help it. You smell really good.”

“That’s the steak. I, myself, do not smell like prey. Get over it.”

“No, Danny, you don’t smell like prey. It doesn’t work that way. I’m still me, I just have fur and four paws.

"Look, this is just a family thing. Every once in a while, members of the Trevant family have the ability to turn into big cats. It’s skipped several generations. Nobody has been able to do it since my Great-Grandmother Louise. And she was a rather small, adorable Cougar. We have pictures.”

He stands and goes to the bookcase, taking down a photo album from somewhere near the top. Somewhere Danny would have never been able to reach anything, damn it.

He brings it over to the couch and flops down. Danny thinks to himself that it isn’t fair that he even flops gracefully.

Steve opens the album to a certain page and hands it over to Danny. The photo is old, probably from the turn of the last century. A couple of rather handsome people are holding a small Cougar. And Steve’s right. She's adorable.

“How old was she here?”

“I think that was her first shift, so she’d have been about two.”

“She’s really cute.”

“I know. You want to reach through the picture and pet her, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. So this happens when you’re a child?”

“Mostly. With me it happened when I was around 10. Scared the hell out of me. I mean, I’d heard that my Mom’s family had shifting in it, but nobody I knew had the ability, so I kind of figured it was the family’s version of an urban legend or something. But I woke up one day with my ear itching like crazy and I found that using my back right foot was the best way to scratch it.

"When I completely woke up, I noticed that I had fur and paws, and I started screaming. Only it didn’t sound like screaming. It sounded like roaring. Not so good for my parents’ hearts, let me tell you. My Dad was sure that a Jaguar had eaten me.

“But Mom calmed down after a while and called her Mother, who immediately came over, and affirmed that I was just a member of the family. Dad had a shit fit, though, because he’d never believed that crap either. And then you find out that your kid will sometimes be a very big kitty cat one morning. It took him a while to get over it.”

“I can imagine.” Danny looks at him closely. “Do you have to change at the full moon or something like that? And, do you have a mate or die sort of thing going on?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Please. I can change anytime I want. I tend to do it when nobody’s around, obviously, because I don’t want anybody calling animal control and telling them that the zoo has an escaped leopard and they need to come and kill it.

“And no, I don’t have a mate or die sort of thing going. I’m still _me_ , Danny. Just in a different body. I don’t like to hunt bunny rabbits. I don’t want to kill house-pets. I don’t want to eat raw meat. Well, any more than usual. I like vegetables, even though they don’t go well with my stomach, so much, so I tend to leave the whole eating thing until I’ve shifted back.

“Shifting doesn’t make me any less human. It just means that I can do stuff that other people can’t.”

“Can you do anything other than a Jaguar?”

“Nope. Sorry. What you see is what you get.”

Danny shifts a bit on the couch, and furrows his brow. “So, does anybody besides Mary know about this?”

“Well, my Mom does, obviously.”

“Oh. Yeah. I like to forget about her.”

“Well, I can’t blame you for that one. There are times I am very glad to have a parent again. And then there are times I want to kill her myself.”

“So, getting back to the subject, you’ve kept this hidden for most of your life from anybody except your family, and you choose to expose yourself now because?”

“Danno, that guy was going to sit on you and then attempt to eat you. And even a bullet to the brain wouldn’t have stopped him. I had a clear shot, but you know full well that even with a completely squished brain he’d have kept on coming until he crushed you and possibly even munched a bit before his body finally got the message that he was dead and had the good graces to lie down.

“I didn’t think I would have been a very good partner to just leave you to that particular fate. So I shifted. It was the only thing I could think of that would get his attention in time. And it worked. You’re un-squished, and he’s safely in jail, where he will have a long time to think about what meth can do to you, and the hallucinations that it can give you. And just maybe--I’m not guaranteeing anything--maybe he’ll decide to make a change in his drug habits.”

“Huh.”

Danny is still not entirely sure what to make of this, but he’s going to go along until something else comes to mind.

“Can you change for me, here and now? Because I’d really like to be sure that I wasn’t hallucinating too?”

Steve rolls his eyes again, but stands, obligingly enough. “Close your eyes if you don’t want to get an eye-full.”

Danny mostly closes his eyes, but only mostly, because, let’s face it, a naked Steve is nothing you should ever give up a chance to enjoy.

Steve dumps his clothing, and just...shifts. It’s not instantaneous, but close enough for government work. He just kind of blurs into another shape, and there, before Danny, stands a huge cat. But something that Danny hadn’t had the chance to notice before is that the enormous cat has Steve’s blue eyes, and Steve’s intelligence behind them.

“Ok, so I’m buying the fact that you’re still you. Your eyes are human, not feline. That, my friend, is rather reassuring, let me tell you.”

Danny tries to hide the fact that he has a great need to pet the kitty. He shifts in his seat, and tucks his hands under his thighs just in case they get out of hand.

“This is still freaking me out, let me tell you, but I feel better that it’s just you being freaky instead of you being a totally carnivorous predator.”

Steve chuffs. There’s no other word for it, and somewhere in the back of Danny’s mind, he remembers hearing that term at a zoo somewhere.

Steve comes over to the couch, reaches one huge paw out, and gently tugs Danny’s hand from underneath his thigh and looks at him with an expression that Danny didn’t think a cat could make. It’s a look of “ _really?_ ”

His paw is soft. The pads are a bit calloused, but that’s normal. Steve’s hands are calloused. And Danny is fascinated to note that the callouses are in the same approximate spots as the ones on his hands.

Steve butts his head against Danny’s hand, then looks at him, expectantly.

“Let me guess, you'd like to be petted.”

Steve nods, and pushes against Danny’s hand again. So Danny obliges both of them and starts petting Steve. His fur is amazingly soft, velvet and sleek against Danny’s hand. The warmth of the skin beneath is wonderful, and Danny gets the image, suddenly, of laying in bed with Steve next to him, providing a delicious warmth. You wouldn’t need covers with Steve about.

Danny pets him slowly, enjoying every single moment. After a couple of minutes, Steve moves until Danny’s hand is on his back. Danny pets him with long, slow strokes. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he realizes that he’s now petting Steve’s back, something he would never do otherwise, but he can’t make himself care. Steve is so soft and warm and he feels like silk and velvet combined. It’s addicting.

His hand strays to the base of Steve’s tail, and, like any other cat, Steve lifts his bottom into the caress. Danny immediately pulls his hand away. “Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” His ears pink and he gets this look of horror on his face.

Steve sighs, which sounds really odd coming from a big cat, and walks away a bit. Then he turns and shifts again. It’s like watching him turn into liquid and flow into his human form.

He reaches for his boxers and pulls them on. Danny stares in fascination, completely unable to drag his eyes away.

Steve smirks and comes to sit by him on the couch again, completely ignoring the fact that he’s kind of missing most of his clothing.

“Danny, you have complete access to my body at any time. Besides, it’s not a sexual thing, per se. It just feels good. You didn’t have to stop. And you certainly don’t have to get that expression on your face. I can smell your pheromones, you know. They smell good.”

Danny stands, horrified. “I have go to. Now. Somewhere. Else. Now.”

Steve laughs. “Danno, you don’t have anywhere to go except perhaps out on the lanai for some more beer. I really don’t mind that you find me arousing, Danny. I like it. I find you arousing too. And I always figured that one of these days we’d stop flirting and get to actually doing something about our mutual desires.”

Danny gets a look of utter consternation on his face, and tells himself that he’s leaving immediately. But instead, he heads to the lanai, like Steve suggested, and grabs a beer from the cooler. He then presses said beer to his forehead, hoping to cool his brain down.

Steve saunters out on the lanai and sits down on the opposite deck chair, snagging himself a beer along the way.

“You don’t have to be upset about this, Danny. I’m not going to act upon it unless you want to. I just know that you get aroused by me. And I get aroused by you too. But there’s more to it than that, Danny, or I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“What more?”

“I love you.”

And there it is, simple as that. Easy as that. And Danny really doesn’t know what to make of it, because he hasn’t allowed himself to think about this before, and then suddenly it’s there, in front of his face. Everything he ever wanted is right there, if he can just reach out and take it. And this is even more surprising than the fact that Steve is, upon occasion, a rather large predator. That he likes to pet. A lot.

Danny is silent for a moment, then he takes a big breath, and lets it out slowly. “I, uh, thinkimayloveyoutoo.”

Steve laughs and reaches over to caress his face. “I know you do. I can smell it on you.”

“Oh that is just so not fair,” Danny whines. “I can’t smell anything on you! And if you knew it, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, it isn’t exactly my place to tell you how you feel. That would be wrong. You have to come to these understandings by yourself.”  
Danny gives him the stink-eye again. Then sits back and takes a long pull off of his beer. “I’ve never been with a guy before. I don’t know how to do it.”

“Me neither.”

“i>Really,” Danny looks at him, incredulous, “I mean, you were in the Navy!”

“You do know that the Village People were not actually members of the military, don’t you?”

“I hate you. I hate you so much.”

“No you don’t. Danny, I took my career seriously, and that meant that I didn’t stray too far from the rules. Besides, I didn’t really have a great deal of time to get into things like that. I barely had time to see Catherine upon occasion, let alone get into a dangerous relationship that I didn’t have any real desire for.

“Danny, you’re the only guy I’ve ever really wanted. Doesn’t mean I haven’t appreciated a few, or wondered about it, but I have never been in love with a guy before, and you will be the first guy I ever kiss; the first guy I ever touch in a sexual manner. The first guy I ever make love to. And it will be making love, Danny. Because you could never be a one-night stand. You are the rest of my life, if you’ll have me.”

And suddenly, Danny’s day takes yet another turn that spins him around and throws him for a loop. But so far, all of these loops have been ok, on the whole, so he just goes with it.

“Yeah. Me too. With the kissing, and the touching and the love making, and the forever. Me too.”

Steve’s smile is amazing. Blinding, actually, and Danny feels the warmth of it as much as he had felt Steve’s warmth through his silken fur. Only this one warms his heart. His soul. And something that had hurt for years, ever since Rachel tore his heart out and forced it to follow his daughter to this pineapple-infested hellhole, just heals. Just like that.

And he hasn’t even kissed him yet,


	2. Wait a second. You're telling me that cats have what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the which Danny discovers delightful things about Steve and sex, and one thing that scares him to death. Or maybe two.

Steve reaches out and tugs Danny to his feet. “C’mere. I need to kiss you.”

Danny expects something hot and intense, but gets tender and incredibly sweet instead. It’s like Steve is giving Danny everything he is in a kiss. He gathers Danny close and gently caresses his back while softly stroking his tongue; Steve shares himself with Danny. Danny has never experienced anything like this before, and it’s heady and delicious.

He begins to wonder if he’s ever really been in love before, because this is completely different from any kind of love he’s known in the past.Trust McGarrett to find a way to show him even more completely unexpected revelations in one day, each one better than the last.

He lifts himself into the kiss and gives himself back to Steve. And he would have thought that it would be difficult, but it isn’t. It’s the most natural thing in the world. It’s heaven.

And he’s standing right up close to Steve, and can feel that Steve is hard. So is he. Doesn’t matter. This isn’t about sex. This is a declaration of utter devotion.

Finally Steve pulls back. Breathing is a necessity, even for SEALs who can turn into Jaguars, apparently. It sure is for Danny. After taking a moment to get their breath back, Danny reaches up for Steve’s mouth again, damning the 7 inches in height difference, and swearing to himself to get a stool or something in order to keep himself from breaking his neck.

This kiss is just as sweet. Just as tender. But Steve ups the ante, and begins rocking slightly, brushing against Danny’s erection as he does.An ache starts inside Danny’s loins that tells him that this will end up in the bedroom sooner rather than later. And if that’s the case, well they may as well get to a bed so that he doesn’t have to keep breaking his neck while they kiss.

He pulls away, and tugs on Steve’s hand. “C’mon. Up. Up to where you have a bed that won’t kill my neck. Up where I can properly appreciate the fact that you have no clothing on.”

“Danny,” Steve smirks, “I have clothing on. Just not much. I’d be considered modest in large parts of the world.”

Danny raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, babe. Not so much with the civilized part of it, however. And you’d better make sure that you adhere to those standards so that I don’t get jealous, and lock you in the house until you learn better.”

Steve laughs in surprise, and Danny is amazed at how close it sounds to the chuff he makes as a Jaguar.

“C’mon. Bed awaits, as does nudity and sex.”

Danny goes willingly, even eagerly, up the stairs with him, but lingers at the bedroom door.

“What’s up babe?” Steve looks back at him.

What’s up indeed is that Steve has dropped his boxers into the hamper, and is displaying his full erection to Danny’s wondering gaze. And all Danny can think is that naturally McGarrett would have to be a size queen, and there is no way in hell that baseball bat he calls a penis is coming anywhere near Danny’s tender parts.

Steve takes in his look and laughs again. “Danny, you don’t have to worry. There are a lot of different ways to have sex that don’t include penetration. We don’t ever have to do that if you don’t want to.”

He walks over to Danny and takes his hand, “Come. Let’s make love.” 

The look in McGarrett’s eyes is enough to dispel any fears, and makes Danny want to give him everything. So he follows Steve to the bed, where Steve eases him down and follows, gently covering Danny without crushing him. And that first sweet glide of body on body is enough. Danny finds himself whiting out from the force of the orgasm ripped from him. It’s like nothing he’s ever experienced, and Danny will be the first to tell you that he’s had some very good sex, thank you. But this, to come just from the gentlest touch of his lover’s body, is so unexpected, so wonderful, so very _Steve_ , that he begins to reconsider the whole penetration thing. Maybe. 

Steve _is_ awfully big.

When he comes back to himself, finally, Steve is gently pressing kisses over his chest and shoulders. Nipping softly at his neck and jawline. He looks up with eyes blown almost black with arousal and pleasure. “Told you.”

Danny hits him, naturally, because he can’t let that one slide. But there’s no force behind it, mostly because he can’t move his limbs that well. Steve chuckles. “Will you lie still so I can explore?”

Danny finds himself affronted at that. “What if I want to explore? Did you consider that?”

“Your turn next.” And isn’t that just like McGarrett, assuming that he will be the one who gets to play. Unfortunately, while Danny would love to argue with him, he’s just too lethargic and filled with afterglow and that delicious sweetness that comes from having actually made love with the person you are in love with. Sharing pleasure...Wait.

“Did you come?”

“Yes.”

Danny has to look down to be sure of that one, and finds that yes, Steve is less erect than he previously was. And Danny feels better. But Steve's still pretty hard, and that is worrisome, because Danny’s never had to keep up with a lover before. He’s always been the one with the stamina, and the women in his life have always appreciated that.

One look at Danny’s face, and Steve is gently tugging at his chin so that he can look into Danny’s eyes. “You are everything I ever would have hoped for, had I given myself permission to wish for that much.”

Well. What are you supposed to say to that? It’s totally mushy, and Danny has made a promise to himself throughout the years to avoid mush. But it’s also exactly what he needs to hear right now. He’s not crying, however, damnit. There’s dust in this room. He’s just sure of it.

And furthermore, damnit, he wants to give Steve absolutely everything. Everything. So he looks into those beautiful eyes and sighs. “Don’t suppose you’d like to...uh...go for the whole tamale. ‘Cause I’m really feeling the need to have you inside me.”

Steve pulls back. “But you...”

“I know. But that was before you did that thing.”

“What thing?”

“That thing, with the eyes, and the words and the... That thing.”

Steve laughs, but it’s a gentle laugh. “How about we try it the other direction first. That way we can figure out what we’re doing.”

“Nope. Nada. Nicht. Nyet. My turn.” Danny looks up at Steve with bright blue, very determined eyes. And Steve isn’t stupid. He knows when Danny isn’t backing down.

“Ok. I can go for that. I just hope you’re ready for the barbs.”

“ _The what!_ ”

“All cats have barbs on their penises.”

The look on Danny’s face is priceless, and Steve can’t keep a straight face. He falls over, laughing, especially when Danny sits up, reaches for his dick, and begins inspecting it. Thoroughly.

“You don’t have barbs!”

“I know. But I couldn't help it.”

“Do you have barbs as a Jag?”

“Yes. But since there is no way on earth I’m coming anywhere near you in a sexual manner as a cat, that’s not an issue.”

“Good. That’s good, ‘cause that would be just wrong.”

Steve nods. “Yes. It would be.”

Steve stealthily reaches one long arm out and grabs lube, a condom, and a small box of something that proclaims itself to be “Sex Wipes: Cleanup for Adults.”

Danny raises his eyebrows at that one. “Where did you find those?”

“Internet.”

“You must be surfing sites I’ve never found before.”

“Possibly.”

But Danny doesn't complain when Steve gently cleans them both with soft cloth-like wipes. He does have a sneaking suspicion, however, that they’re really just scentless baby wipes that have been repackaged.

Clean and sweet once again, Steve leans over and begins gently stroking Danny’s chest. He tweaks a nipple, and Danny moans, surprised to find that a real hot spot. Nobody has ever done that before, and he’s kind of put out that he’s only now discovering it.

Steve laughs against his skin as he leans down to gently take it in his mouth, nip it softly, then begin to suck. 

Danny begins to think that sex with Steve may just be the end of him. But what a way to go.

Much later, after Steve has reduced him to a puddle the size of Lake Michigan, he asks, “Are you serious about the barb thing?”

“Every single male cat. Some are worse than others, but every single male cat has them.”

“Well, that explains the whole yowling thing.”

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s a case of ‘more, more more’. I think it’s a case of ‘get off me, you idiot’”

“ Wasn't that way with me.”

Steve chuckles, sending warm waves through Danny’s sated, but sore as hell, body. “Nope. Sure wasn’t.”


	3. Want to explain this one, McGarrett?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel gets the shock of her life. Stan is pleased beyond words, or hysterical--it's hard to tell. Charlie is jealous. And Steve and Danny are just perplexed. Mom comes to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mush. Pure mush. Fluff. Diabetic-inducing. And quite possibly horribly silly. Sorry. I couldn't resist. I'll do better next time, I swear.

Slow, sweet stretch. Soft, clinging kisses. Gentle hands stroke over his neck, tenderly cupping his face. The look in Steve’s eyes is enough to bring tears. The love Danny sees is echoed in his own, he knows. This is heaven on earth. Something he never thought existed.

Steve keeps his thrusts gentle, slow. This isn’t about moving quickly towards orgasm. This is about making love. The two of them wrapped in a cocoon of sweetness and joy.

Which is why Grace’s ringtone is so very _painful_ to hear at that moment. Not that either of them have ever _not_ wanted to see or talk to Grace. No, Grace is everything to both of them. But there are moments when a man likes to be able to make love to his man without interruption.

Steve’s long arm slips away from Danny and grabs the phone, which he hands to Danny, who struggles to pull himself out of the stupor of pleasure long enough to answer.

“Monkey.” Danny coughs and stretches. “What’s up?”

“Danno, You need to come here. _Now._ ”

It may be an weekend, but it’s not Danny’s weekend, so this is kind of concerning.

“Gracie, what’s wrong.”

“Danno, just come over.”

He sits up, stifling a moan when Steve slips from his body. “Grace, I can’t just come like that. Does your Mom...”

“Here.” Grace huffs there’s a sound of the phone being handed off. Seconds later, Rachel’s voice come on. “Danny?”

“Yeah. Rach, what’s going on?”

He knows things are not going well when Rachel takes a shuddering breath. He waits while she regains her composure, “Danny, I think you need to come over. And bring Steve with you.”

“Rach...”

“ _ **Now, Danny. Now.”**_

She hangs up, Danny looks at Steve. He knows full well that Steve heard everything, damn cat’s ears.

Steve takes the phone from him and gently kisses him. “Sorry. We’ll get back to it later.”

Danny nods, “We’d better.”

They both stand, stretch, and hit the shower. They wash the scent of sex off quickly, then rinse, dry off, and dress, and they’re out the door. Sex is important. Grace is more important.

The drive to the Edwards residence is quiet. Both of them are trying to figure out what on earth could be going on. Everything from bad grades on the math test she had yesterday to bullying, to the dog finally getting the best of Mr. Hoppy runs through their minds.

What is waiting for them, however, is beyond their imagination.

***************************************************************************************

Just before Danny and Steve marry, they decide that there is no way that they can keep Steve’s abilities away from Grace. And if they’re going to tell Grace, then it’s unfair to make her keep a secret like that from her mother. Or Step-Stan. And after the quiet, dignified way that Stan Edwards offered himself as a sacrifice for Grace, he’s come up in Danny’s estimation more than just a little.

So they have the Edwards--Rachel, Stan, and Charlie, over for dinner on a weekend when Danny has Grace.

They have dinner out on the lanai. Steve grills and does baked potatoes. Danny makes a salad and his mother’s lemon-meringue pie. The meat is perfect. The potatoes are incredible. The salad is crisp and refreshing. And the pie is the perfect mix of tart and sweet.

It’s a good thing that dinner is fabulous. It makes the Edwards family loose and easy, so they don’t panic when Steve slips back into the house, then returns as a Jaguar.

Grace is excited beyond words. Charlie wants to “pet the kitty”, and does so endlessly throughout the evening, under Rachel’s rather panicked gaze. 

Stan is unexpectedly cool about it. He questions Steve carefully, both as a Jaguar and as a man. And then informs them that he should have known, considering everything else that has come along since they collectively met Steve.

Rachel never does quite appear to know what to do, but she stops shying away from Steve and attempting to grab Grace or Charlie whenever possible by the end of the evening, so Danny counts that on as a win.

So the past three years have actually been rather good between the Edwards family and the McGarrett-Williams family. Rachel even acted as Danny’s best gal at the wedding. She looked fabulous in the tux.

***************************************************************************************

The gate is open. Rachel and Stan are standing in the doorway, Charlie peeking around Stan’s legs. There’s no Grace in sight.

They walk up to the door, Danny in the front, but not by much. When he gets close enough, he raises his voice and asks, “What’s wrong? Is anybody hurt? Did somebody threaten you?”

Rachel’s big eyes are wide and round, like she’s kind of in shock. Stan is kind of grinning a bit maniacally. Charlie is excited beyond words.

“Danno,” he shouts, “Grace can do something cool!”

Stan starts laughing in a half hysterical, half giggly kind of way, and gets a punch in the arm for his trouble. Rachel glares at him, and then looks at Steve. “You are going to explain this, Steven. And you’re going to do a good job of it or I swear I will break into the car, get a gun, and shoot you. And Danny and Stan will hold you down while I do it.”

Ok. Well, that is not quite what they expected, but Danny reaches out and pats her arm. “Whatever it is, Rach, it will be ok.”

“You can say that because _you haven’t seen it!_ ”

Stan is laughing again, and Rachel gives him the icy English glare that always chilled Danny to the bone. Apparently it doesn't work with Stan. Or Charlie, who at 5 is a lot more like his father than his mother, something Danny would have never thought was a good thing, but which turns out to be a real god-send. It gives Stan an ally in the house. He needs one.

And Charlie is giggling. As Rachel and Stan turn to let them into the house, Steve reaches out and snags Charlie. Charlie is Steve’s buddy. Apparently, if you give the kid rides on a Jaguar, you’re all right in his eyes for the rest of forever.

Charlie gives Steve a big hug, and whispers something in his ear that Danny can’t quite make out. But he knows it must be something interesting, because the look on Steve’s face is one that Danny has never seen before. It’s complete and utter surprise, mixed with a bit of terror, perhaps.

He understands completely, as a matter of fact, when they get a bit further into the house. Where a small, delicate, exquisitely-beautiful black leopard sits.

Danny kind of melts down to the ground. His eyes never move from the beautiful cat. Who has, disturbingly, Grace’s delicate features, only cat-like.

After a moment of stunned silence, he looks up at Steve. “Start talking, McGarrett.”

Grace-cat walks over to him and rests her sweet face against his shoulder and nuzzles into his neck, just like she always did when she was a baby. It comforts him, and gives him some breathing room.

Steve sits, stunned. The rest of the room waits for him. But apparently he’s got nothing, because the silence stretches out for a while. Meanwhile, Stan has reacquired at least some of his composure, because he breaks the silence by looking at Grace with a sweet smile. “Hey Gracie-girl, why don’t you go and change and get some clothes on. Ok?”

Grace nods. Nuzzles Danny again, then trots off, just like a cocky little kitten. Danny finds hysterical laughter bubbling up, and swallows it down only because he doesn’t want to frighten Charlie.

Grace returns a few minutes later, fully human, and fully dressed, with a grin on her face. “Totally cool, huh, Danno?”

And just like that, it is. His baby girl can do something cool. Just like his husband. And let’s be frank, any worries about boys getting handsy kind of go out the window.

He reaches for her, and she throws herself into his arms. “I didn’t know I could do that, Danno! Not until this morning when I just woke up. And I knew right away that I was like Step-Steve.”

Everybody looks back up at Steve, who is looking a little green. But eventually he takes a deep breath and starts talking.

“I always heard that it would pass down in the family, and that it was important that the genes be passed down, for some reason. I never knew why. But since nobody in our family had ever managed it since Great-Grandma Louise, I didn’t believe it.

“My Mom tried to tell me this would happen. I told her that I might never have kids, and she smiled and said that didn't matter. 

“I didn’t think she meant this. I think I need to call her.”

Danny nods, “I think that might be judicious at this juncture, Steven.”

Yeah. Steve's Mom. That's not one that is easily understood. She's still off somewhere, hiding. They don't know what the extend of her involvement in...whatever...is. But occasionally she shows up, without warning, and loves her son and daughter to within an inch of their lives. And she's taken to Grace and Charlie like a they were really good chocolate. Sometimes Steve thinks that his Mom takes these chances to come and see them just so that she can see the grandchildren. Even if they're not hers, per se. She sure claims them, and they claim her. And sometimes Steve feels a bubble of hysteria starting to rise when he thinks about that. So he just doesn't go there. Danny thinks it's best.

But she is the fountain of all knowledge regarding the Trevant family oddity, and Steve does get a phone number when she changes her old one. So, apparently, at this point, there's no question of what to do. But Steve still glares at him, while he pulls out his phone and dials. He talks to his mother for a moment, then tells her he’s putting her on speakerphone so that they can ask her some questions regarding a rather important issue.

Seconds later, everybody is talking at the same time, which doesn’t help the situation any, but Stan manages to take control of the situation by raising his voice highest.

“Doris? This is Stan Edwards. We have an issue here that we’re a bit confused by, and Steve seems to think that you can help.”

“Oh?” Doris’ sounds confused, but willing.

Stan looks at Grace with a rather bemused smile. Grace grins back. “Hey Gramma, guess what?”

“Gracie!” The love in Doris’ voice for her adoptive Granddaughter is strong and clear. “What’s up?”

“I can turn into a big cat.”

Silence.

Then, “Well, Steven, I’d say that Grace has imprinted on you. It’s a rare and beautiful thing, son. I told you that this would find a way of passing down. I didn’t expect this, however. What a gift.”

“Mom? Could you be more specific?”

She laughs. “Steve, you don’t have to be born into the Trevant family for this to happen. You just have to be loved and love enough in return to be imprinted on the family. It’s like a part of your genetics has been given to Grace, and she has accepted them. It means that Grace is now sort of your biological daughter, too. Not that she’s going to start looking like you, which is probably a good thing considering how beautiful she is. We wouldn’t want her to be anything but who she is already

“But Steve, that kind of love literally bonds itself into the blood and bone of a child and parent. And before you start feeling left out, Stan, I’d be willing to wager that the same has happened with you. Grace belongs to all four of you now. And that speaks volumes about the four of you, and even more about Grace’s ability to love and accept people as her family. You have raised an amazing child, guys.”

Danny reflects that he read something about this kind of thing somewhere, but didn’t really understand the biology of it. He just thought it was kind of cool that an adoptive child could literally take on some of the biological characteristics of their family. But he always thought it was in a very minor way. Something like a certain smell, or a liking for a type of food. This? This is not so minor.

Grace is grinning ear to ear. Rachel is sitting, stunned, staring at her amazing child. 

Stan's former frenetic hysteria completely fades under the assault of his love for Grace. And her love for him. He and Steve both begin to silently weep, awed at the gift that they never expected to receive.

Charlie, is talking to Gramma. Long ago he decided that if Grace had a Gramma, then he did too. Doris was delighted beyond words. Charlie was excited to get more presents for his birthday and at Christmas.

And now, he’s asking, rather loudly, “Gramma, am I gonna turn into a big kitty too?”

Rachel’s head turns at his question, and she seems to come out of her stupor a bit. “Yes, Doris, is Charlie going to turn into a cat as well?” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe I actually asked that question,” she says, mostly to herself.

“I don’t know. It’s possible, I suppose. I haven’t heard of it happening more than once per generation, so it’s most likely doubtful. But just because something has never happened doesn’t mean it can’t. I’d be surprised, however.”

“But I wanna be a big kitty too!”

“Charlie, I’d like to be able to be a big kitty as well. But I can’t. There’s no knowing who will be able to or not. But don’t worry, what’s important is that you be Charlie. Because there wouldn’t be much happiness without Charlie in the world.”

He screws his little face around, obviously not at all convinced. But he holds his peace, and doesn’t fight it when Rachel pulls him into her arms.

“Doris, is this permanent, or a one-time thing?” You can just hear the hope in her voice that it’s a one-time event, like a broken arm or something.

“It’s permanent, Rachel. But don’t worry, Steve will teach her when and how to use it. And it will eventually become a blessing in your eyes, even if right now it doesn't appear that way. Jack reacted exactly the same way when Steve shifted the first time. I thought it was rather amusing, after I got over my own astonishment.

“You have to understand that I had always assumed it was kind of an urban legend in the family. I mean, yes, we had photographs, but those didn’t prove anything. And my memories of my Grandmother never included a Cougar. So it was a bit of a shock when Steve suddenly woke up as a half-grown Jaguar.

“But you get used to it. Trust me, you can get used to a lot. And this isn’t like a disease that is going to slowly take your child’s life. This is something that has been added to it. It’s a gift. And Grace will use it wisely, won’t you?”

“Yes, Gramma. Step-Steve will help me.”

Grace goes over to climb in Steve’s lap, and the look of utter happiness on Steve’s face is enough to make Danny feel like heaven has arrived again.

They spend the day with the Edwards family, Danny trying to comfort Rachel. Rachel glaring at Stan like it’s all his fault--which is kind of odd, considering that it’s Steve’s genetics that have apparently been passed down somehow.

Stan keeps grinning, and laughing occasionally, and hugging Grace and Charlie whenever they come close.

After a while, Danny understands why Stan is so happy. It isn't that Grace has developed a wonderful new gift. It’s that Doris told him that Grace was his too. Biologically his, in a small way. And Danny would have never thought it would mean so much. But it warms his heart, and he nods at Stan from across the room with a smile that tells him that this is a good thing. That he’s happy that Grace has the gift of Stan, too.

Steve. Well, Steve doesn’t know how to act, apparently. But he finds himself holding Grace, and Charlie, and Danny, whenever possible. And he comforts Rachel as much as possible, and the two of them have a long discussion regarding the how’s and why’s and wherefore’s of Grace’s new ability.

Danny has a long discussion with Grace, later in the afternoon, telling her how much he loves her, and how happy he is that she is truly a part of the extended Edwards-Williams-McGarrett family. And how if she uses her ability in public for anything other than a complete and utter emergency, he will see to it that she goes absolutely nowhere for the rest of her life.

He thinks to himself that someday he’ll have to let Steve at her to discuss things, but right now, he’s not sure it’s a good idea. Steve will just get her into trouble.

That night, when they’ve finally returned to their own home, after lots of hugs and kisses and reassurances, Steve pulls Danny up the stairs. He kisses him, softly and gently, and looks into his eyes with all the love in the world there for Danny to see.

“Thank you, Danny. Thank you for giving me Grace. It’s more than I ever imagined.”

Danny smiles, a bit crookedly. “I didn’t do that, Steve. She did. And it has been something that I have been grateful for. I just didn’t know how deep it went. I didn’t know how deep it could go. I’m as amazed as you are. and as happy.

“But Charlie had better not ‘inherit' anything from you, McGarrett, or my ex-wife just may kill you. And don’t think she couldn’t get away with it, because she totally could. Nobody expects a proper Englishwoman to take out a SEAL with a bazooka. But there’s always a first time.”

Much later, after they finally return to what they were doing before they were interrupted, Danny holds Steve in his arms as he sleeps, and thinks that the world doesn’t always give us what we expect. He had once expected to be back in Jersey at this point. Married to Rachel, celebrating their thirteenth anniversary. Working at the Newark PD, maybe a Lieutenant by now.

Instead, he’s living in Hawai’i, married to a former SEAL who can turn into a Jaguar at will, and does, running into the surf the first thing in the morning, then swimming out to sea. At some point, he may turn into a dolphin, for all Danny knows. He’s not going to ask. He does know that there is some peace involved in the fact that Steve can take on a shark if necessary. Those claws are wicked. And the teeth. And Steve does love a good fish steak.

And lastly, the story of his life so far includes a little-known biological fact that love can actually change people genetically. Not much, just enough. And that, is miracle enough for one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The science is, at least in part, correct. Obviously Grace wouldn't be able to inherit Steve's ability, but let's face it, considering the fact that I'm pretending that he can turn into a big cat, giving that gift to Grace isn't that big of a stretch. But it is amazing what love can do. Physicists and biologists are discovering that love is an actual physical force. And it does change people, at the genetic level. As an adoptive mother, I like to believe that my beautiful daughter has inherited just a bit of me somewhere in there along with the amazing genes her biological mother gave her.


	4. Little moments are what our lives are made of. Unfortunately.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You never know what's going to happen. Sometimes, it's for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finito. Done. My bit of complete and utter cotton candy is out of my system. Most likely never to show its face again. I hope.

_Cold_

Danny can’t remember when he’s been this miserable before. Yeah, he gets the flu once a year or so, and he’s been shot and concussed frequently enough to make him concerned with the stability of his body at points. But he hasn’t had an out and out cold for years. Not the “I can’t breath through either of my nostrils, and my throat is so clogged that I’m actually afraid of suffocation. And since my mouth is so dry that even the Sahara wouldn’t feel at home, that may be ok” kind of cold.

His throat is stuffy, and he can’t breathe without coughing up a lung. Both his nostrils are plugged, except for the fact that they keep leaking like sieves, which means that he’s had to stuff bits of tissue up there--the good kind with the lotion in them, at least.

And he’s got a fever that keeps him from getting warm no matter how many covers he throws on himself. Not that the two of them have a great many covers. This is Hawai'i! One doesn’t need covers here! Except when one does, apparently.

He knows that Steve’s home only when he hears him open the bedroom door. He blearily looks up, and sees that Steve has a mug of something in his hands. Somehow he doesn’t think it’s coffee. But since he’s got so much NyQuil in his system that any coffee withdrawal systems are completely hidden, that’s ok.

It turns out that Steve has sweet mint tea. It feels so good on his mouth and throat that Danny forgives Steve for making him sit up to drink it. Not too hot, not cold, and just sweet enough. Danny thinks that if he wasn’t already in love with the goof, he’d definitely fall here and now.

It helps to warm him up, and the shower that Steve helps him into is good too. When he’s clean, he comes out, wrapped in the fluffy robe that Steve presented him with yesterday, along with fluffy slippers to match--he’d have kissed him silly, except that he might have died of air loss. That and the whole snot everywhere thing just doesn’t make Steve want to kiss him on the mouth very much.

Steve has changed the sheets, like the angel he is, and Danny finishes drying off and climbs into a fresh pair of boxers and faded NAVY t-shirt that have magically appeared on the fresh sheets.

He sighs, and sinks gratefully into the clean bed. But he’s still freezing. And it’s not time for another dose of the blessed NyQuil for another two hours.

So he wraps himself up in the covers as well as he can, and shivers while he tries to sleep. But McGarrett is no longer acting like an angel, because he’s ripping the covers off of Danny, stealing the only warmth he has. Danny looks up, outraged, and is about to rip Steve a new one, when the bed dips under the weight of a rather large feline. And suddenly there is warmth. Wonderful, fabulous warmth.

Steve gently uses one huge paw to drag Danny back against his chest, draping two legs over him; covering him in blessed warmth and incredibly soft, thick, velvet fur. This is better than any blanket ever made by man. Danny wiggles a bit to snuggle back, rubs the back of his head against Steve’s neck, and croaks out a “TakOoo”. Steve chuffs gently at him, and rubs his cheek against Danny’s head softly.

Danny’s out between one heartbeat and the next. and when he wakes, the fever is gone and the congestion is beginning to loosen in his chest and head.

 

_Chin and Kono Come for Dinner_

“Danno, I’m going for a quick swim, ok? The meat is ready to go on the grill, and the potatoes are in the warming oven. I’ll be back in twenty.”

Danny hurries out of the kitchen, where he’s creating potato salad as God meant it to be created. “Steve, Chin and Kono are on their way, you know?”

“No. They’re not due until seven, remember?”

“I thought it was six.”

“Nah. Seven!”

And he’s gone. Naked, into the water. Danny sighs, both in pleasure and annoyance. Pleasure because that is a well-worth watching view. Annoyance because he remembers full well that it was six, and while it’s only 5:30, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be early.

But there’s nothing he can do about it except tell Kono to close her eyes when Steve walks from the water like every normal person’s wet dream personified. Well, at least his anyway.

And he’s right. They knock perfunctorily and walk in right on time at 5:50.

Danny smiles and waves at them. “Steve’s off playing SEAL in the water, so I figured we’d kick back with a Longboard or two while we wait for him.”

Kono nods and heads out to the lanai where a nicely-stocked cooler waits. She immediately takes Steve’s deck chair, which pleases Danny no end. After all, it’s no more than Steve deserves.

They have a nice chat. Kono is getting serious with Adam. Chin is actually starting to like Adam. And Adam is making great headway in turning the Yakuza into a legitimate organization. Danny isn’t sure, but he thinks that Adam has long-term plans for their beautiful girl, and while he’s not entirely sure how he feels about that, he thinks that it’s possible that it could work out ok.

Kono spots him first, naturally. She doesn’t say anything, just starts looking intently out to sea. She stands after a moment and begins walking towards the water, holding her hand above her eyes to cut the glare even more.

Danny, who has been happily conversing with Chin, notices her behavior when she stands, and is ready to tell her to keep those eyes off of his husband, thank you, when he notices exactly what she is staring at.

Steve. Happily slicing through the waves with his huge paws.

Danny figures that Steve realized that he had spent more time out in the water than he expected to, and since a Jaguar swims faster than even the fastest man, he shifted in order to get back to land more quickly.

And now Kono is looking on in apparent fascination, and he suspects that Chin is going to head for his shotgun at any second.

There’s no helping it now. It’s going to come out. And Danny is ok with that. He always thought that the family should know these things, and Chin and Kono are definitely family.

Doesn’t mean he can’t be a bit evil about this, though.

“Uh, hey guys? Did Steve mention that we got a new pet?”

Chin looks at him incredulously, “Danny, that is a Tiger. Tigers are not pets.”

He’s still tensed to go head for his shotgun, but he’s holding off for now, at least.

“Actually, my friend, that is a Jaguar. And I promise that this one is a pet. You’ll like him.”

Kono looks at him like he’s gone insane and like she’s torn between wanting to pet the kitty and get her rifle. “Danny, you never mentioned that you had a pet Jaguar. I think I'd have remembered that. And aren’t they illegal? And why isn’t he someplace safe? Letting him out into the ocean? He could eat tourists!”

Danny can’t help it. He loses it at the look on Kono’s face. He’s actually giggling uncontrollably when Steve walks out of the water. 

Kono is looking at him like he’s gone insane. Chin is looking at Steve like he’s figuring out how fast he get get a gun from the stash in the house, and Steve is looking horribly, horribly embarrassed.

But Steve apparently decides that there’s no holding back now, and walks up to stand by Danny, who is, by now, practically falling over with laughter.

He gets some of his own back by shaking violently, spraying Danny with water and sand. Danny shudders at the sudden cold, and glares at him. “Hey, that wasn’t nice. Go rinse off and then get a towel like the rest of us do.”

Steve glares at him, but carefully walks over to the outdoor shower. He uses one paw to delicately turn the spigot and rinses thoroughly. Then he turns off the water, and goes over to the shelf where they keep the beach towels and snags himself one, deftly draping it over his shoulders with a practiced turn of his massive head.

Kono has stopped looking like she wants to get her gun and more like she wants to pet the kitty. “Danny, how did you train him to do that?”

Well, Danny can’t resist this one. “Well, I’ll tell you Kono. I’ve been trying for years to train this animal to take simple orders. But, unfortunately he doesn’t seem to be very trainable.”

Steve glares at him, but doesn’t stop dragging the towel over his body, using his mouth and paws, and the sheer flexibility of that feline spine. Eventually he figures he’s dry enough, so he heads back to where Danny stands.

Chin moves carefully out of range. He’s no longer considering immediately shooting the cat, but there’s still a possibility there.

Steve glares up at Danny, and Danny can almost hear Steve telling him to get a move on and explain this before Chin makes a break for it, or Kono gets serious about the whole kitty petting thing.

Danny laughs again, then takes a deep breath. “Go and change, you neanderthal, I’ll do the explaining. And make sure that you bring the meat out. We’re getting hungry here.”

As Steve stalks back into the house, growling under his breath, Danny calls after him, “There are fresh clothes in the laundry room if you don’t want to go upstairs.”

Steve looks back, briefly, and nods.

Which is when Chin gets it, apparently, and starts laughing hysterically.

“Steve’s...Steve’s...Steve’s...”

“Yes, Chin. Steve is most definitely. Don’t ask me how, or why. It runs in the family. His Great-Grandmother was a Cougar. That’s about all I know. That and the fact that no matter what, he’s still Steve. Just furry.”

Chin sits down heavily. Kono still stands, still, a bemused smile on her face. Eventually, Chin gets ahold of himself and takes a deep breath. “So the meth guy wasn’t lying.”

“Nope. It was the only thing that Steve could think of to stop that guy from squishing me. I am rather grateful to be non-squished, and it was the turning point in our relationship. Apparently, turning into a big cat was his way of declaring his undying love.”

“Huh.” Chin is quiet for a while, apparently trying to digest this. Kono, on the other hand, has gone past digesting, and is at the question and answer phase of things.

“Can he track? ‘Cause I’m thinking it would be very nice to have somebody who could track guys through the jungle. That would really rock. And how good is his hearing? ‘Cause there are a lot of times when we can get a recorder in close enough to hear anything, but Steve could just sneak up close and hear. I mean, he can be stealthy, can’t he?”

Danny just smirks, “You’ll have to ask Steve all this stuff. I’m sure he’ll be happy to answer everything.”

Maybe next time Steve will listen. 

 

_Holding Cell_

“Danny, could you come here.”

“Cat, what’s up?”

Danny looks up from his desk where he is attempting to finish off Steve’s paperwork so that they can go home. 

So that they can go home and get away from the swamp that the office is, because the air conditioning guy can’t come out until tomorrow morning.

“Uh, well. It’s hard to explain. Could you just come here?” Their lovely analyst stands in the doorway of his office, looking more than a bit worried, though she’s trying to hide it.

He stands, wriggling his shoulders a bit to try and steer the sweat away from the middle of his back, where it always sits and itches. “What’s wrong?”

“Just follow me.”

“Ok.”

He takes off after her, following her to the holding cells. When they get to the last one, he notices that the door is closed. She stands by the observation window, and peers inside. Danny comes to stand beside her and looks. And there, in all his glory, is Steve, the Jaguar. Fast asleep on the nice cool floor of the holding room.

“Did you lock him in there?” Danny looks at her, calmly.

“Yes. Of course.” She’s nowhere near panicking, but she’s rather ruffled just the same.

“Good. I think we can leave him there until morning when Animal Control can come and deal with him.”

She nods thoughtfully. “But how did he get in there? And won’t he need water or something?”

“Yeah,” Danny sighs, “I suppose we should probably get him some water. I’ll go get it and then we can carefully slip it into the room without waking him.

“As for how he got in there...well, Catherine, there are things that are mysteries in life. And sometimes, we never know exactly how they happen. This cat has been showing up here and there for three years, apparently. We've just gotten used to him. You will too.”

He goes into the break room and fills a large plastic bowl with water, which he then carefully slips into the holding room while Catherine holds the door open just enough, ready to slam it shut should it be necessary.

But Steve sleeps on, cool, comfortable, and oblivious. And Danny happily locks the door, pats Catherine on the shoulder, and walks away.

Obviously, they’ll have to let her in on the secret soon. And obviously he’ll return, and let him out before they go home. But for right now, at least, his husband is getting what he deserves.

 

_Charlie_

Is a really cute, really large Siberian Tiger. He waits until he’s fifteen to spring this on his family, though Grace knows full well he’s been able to do it for at least five years. But when he’s ready, he announces it after New Years’ dinner, saying “Hey, everybody! Look what I can do!”

Who knew that Rachel carries a handgun in her purse? It’s even pink. With a laser sighting.

What nobody can understand, is why she chases Stan through the house with it instead of Steve.

Eventually she calms down, and manages to regain some of that famous English composure. And the first thing she tells Charlie, is not that he is never to show this to anybody outside of the family. It’s not that he must be careful how he uses this. It’s not that she doesn’t want him doing this ever again, which would at least be understandable. No, it’s that he’d better keep that fur combed and clean, because she will not have Tiger hair all over her carpet and couches, thank you. And yes, Grace may help groom him if he can convince her to.

Stan just keeps looking from son to daughter to wife to Steve and Danny with this helpless, “how the hell did this happen to me” kind of look. But he’s a lot less hysterical this time around, and he calms down fairly quickly. He tugs Charlie to sit next to him, and whispers something in his ear that apparently pleases Charlie a lot. Danny suspects it’s something along the lines of “I love you. I am proud of you. I will always love you. Even if you are a huge cat sometimes.”

By the end of the evening, Rachel is playing pet the kitty with the rest of them. And Danny watches with a kind of wonder.

This was never in his life plan. This wasn’t anywhere near his life plan.

Isn’t it good that somebody else knows more than we do?


End file.
